


the night is darkest before the dawn

by sayijo



Category: Lego Ninjago
Genre: Blood and Gore, Character Death, Gen, Genocide, Grief/Mourning, Hurt/Comfort, Invasion, Marooned, Minor Character Death, Murder, Oni!Cole (Ninjago), Panic Attacks, Parent Death, Swearing, Vomiting, its oni!cole time baby
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-27
Updated: 2021-01-13
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:48:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 15,581
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24937063
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sayijo/pseuds/sayijo
Summary: Cole would have never thought he'd return to the place he had run from all those years ago. Now stuck between a rock and a hard place, he must attempt to hide his secret while simultaneously helping his friends as they try to return back home.
Comments: 35
Kudos: 122
Collections: The_Newbie's Ninjago Fanfic Collection





	1. Chapter 1

Cole and his father had never planned to stay for long. 

It was always the plan. Move, stay somewhere for a while, and then move again. Days and nights where he would stay up in fear, the blankets and pillows he had curled around himself doing nothing to shield him from the terror that would creep from the corners of his room, stretching out their hands to consume him whole. 

The death of his mother had hit him hard. She was the only true friend that he had. Her smile would radiate an everlasting warmth, like the sun that had just begun to rise, signalling the start of spring. Her soft cooled hands would cup his tear-stained cheeks gently, tilting his chin up so she could plant a kiss against his forehead. Evening nights were spent with a record player singing its old tune into the kitchen, the warmth radiating from the oven as she hummed along to its melody. Cole’s feet would swing back and forth happily as he sat on the counter, the sweet aroma of cakes and pastries would give way to the smile on his face. 

And then quickly as she had come into his life, she was gone. 

He was sure that was part of the reason his dad didn’t move them anymore. He watched as the man he had known as his father, with his eyes so full of life, had spiralled down. The joy brimming on his smile had long since faded. The curving of his eyes when he went to smile was gone, leaving a downcast glare as anger and sadness were chiselled onto his features. Cole would catch him sitting on his couch in the corner, his hands delicately cradling a photograph of the three of them in his frail and boney fingers. His gaze was soulless for months after the fact, his face set in a scowl that never seemed to soften. 

Everything fell into a slow, monotonous, repetition. Wake up, have breakfast, work. Have lunch, work. Have dinner, work, sleep. There were days where Cole would lie down on the carpet in the hall, staring up at the ceiling, the slow ticking of the grandfather clock in the living room being the only thing to signal the passage of time. His grades began to drop and the lack of any sort of motivation restrained him from heading off to school, from doing anything that required effort. 

They kept an image of her on a shelf, surrounded by fresh lilies and the pink roses that she grew in a pot outside the front door, the roots and stems of the plants she had taken care of long since withered and shrivelled from neglect. In front of her photograph, was placed a small wooden ashtray, with two incense rods sticking out of the gray sand, slowly burning away throughout the day. Two or three times a week, Cole would find himself standing in front of that photograph, the sweetly smoky smell of incense and flowers blurring together into a scent that he would understand was death. 

He would talk. He would talk about how they were doing without her. How they were all fairing. He would talk about how much he missed her. How he wished that she would come back, and all the fun plans that he had in store when she did. 

And he would cry. His face would contort into a snarl as he sobbed, his hands shooting up to cover his eyes. His shoulders would shake and tremble as he wailed, himself collapsing onto the ground and curling up, trying to make himself as small as possible. He would cry for his mother, begging for her to come back, for her to come back to them. For them to be happy together as one whole family once more. 

But they stayed. 

* * *

Out of all the things that could ever happen to them in the entire universe, crashing into the First Realm after being given a travelling tea by a lady while your brother’s dad’s evil rock monster trashing the city wouldn’t even have been on Cole’s top 200. The sand had settled in a thin film all over his body, his mouth drier than any desert he had ever had the displeasure of visiting. The sun was absolutely ruthless, blaring down its scorching rays onto their marooned ship. 

To say Cole was panicked once he figured out where they had landed was an understatement. That horrible telltale smell of sand and salt was enough to make him burst out into a sweat. The dragons that soared above their heads every few minutes did little to ease the pounding on his heart. 

He wondered if they could smell him like he smelled them.

“You alright there, Cole?” Kai asked, plopping down beside the earth ninja in the sand. Cole stared up ahead, up at the blackened sun surrounded by its halo of golden glow. He sighed softly, picking up a small white rock that lay half-buried in the sand. He turned it around in his hand, feeling the warmth against his palm before he chucked it further down the hill they had crashed on. 

“Yeah. I’m good. Just...thinking. You know?”

Kai hummed and nodded, preoccupying himself with drawing lines into the sand with his finger. Cole watched as the fire ninja drew a rather crooked looking version of himself holding a sword, with an even cruder drawing of Lord Garmadon laying sideways beside him. Cole couldn’t help but snort, brushing off stray bits of sand from his pants. 

“...The Oni.”

“What?”

“The Oni.” Kai reiterated, turning his head to glance at the earth ninja’s face. His brunette locks gently swayed over his eyes, him bringing a hand to brush them away. 

“The Oni,” Cole repeated, unsure as to where this conversation was about to go. He crossed his legs, picking at the laces of his shoes with his fingernails, swirling the cord on his index finger. 

“We’ve seen nothing but dragons ever since we crashed here. But where are the Oni?” Kai mused, licking out his legs, sending sand everywhere in a cloud. Cole grimaced, closing his eyes to shield them from the sudden plume of dust. He lapsed into silence, listening to Kai babbling off to his left. 

“You think the Oni were all wiped out by the Dragons? I mean, there’s no sign of them here at all! We’ve seen nothing but Dragons since we’ve got here!”

“Maybe they’re hiding.” Cole pointed out. He had pulled out a bunch of rocks of different colours from the sand, arranging them on the ground so that they formed a small smiley face in the ground, before drawing a nose with his finger. 

“Hiding?” Kai asked, before he chuckled softly. “Hiding from what?”

Cole turned to face Kai before he shrugged. “I dunno? I doubt they’re all gone though. I think we would’ve stumbled across some skeletons maybe? Dead stuff?”

“Add some fangs to it.” Kai suggested as he leaned over, reaching out his right hand to draw two small triangles sticking out of smiley face’s mouth. Cole chuckled quietly, moving his hands to add two angry eyebrows to finish the piece of impromptu art.

“There we are.” Kai chuckled softly, sitting back to appreciate their work. “The first piece of artwork that has grazed this realm for centuries.”

“The Oni could’ve done art.” Cole pointed out. 

“Yeah sure, whatever Cole.” Kai brushed off his comment, wiping away the sweat that had formed on his brow. Cole frowned slightly, turning away to stare back at the sun. He could hear Zane and Jay talking to each other in the background, hearing the sound of them— well, more like Zane only— tinkering away at the central console in an effort to make a radio. 

Cole nervously glanced out at the horizon, scanning from left to right. The unchanging scenery did nothing to ease his jumping nerves. He unconsciously began to bounce his leg, picking at the fabric tied around his waist. His ears were straining to listen for any sounds of engines in the distance, for any sounds of yelling, any sounds of talking. Every single gust of wind caused him to jump, every single small crinkle from rocks causing him to jolt. 

“We need to get out of here.” Cole mumbled.

“Yeah, no shit.” Kai groaned softly. He got up to his feet, stretching before briefly dusting himself before patting Cole on the back twice.

“Come on. Let’s go back to work. Also, that kid ain’t gotta take care of himself.” Kai laughed, before trekking up the hill to where the ruins of the Bounty lay at her final resting spot. Zane called out something that the earth ninja couldn’t quite make out, but it caused Kai to run up the slope towards the destroyed ship.

Cole sighed as he got up, scanning the horizon one more time, uncomfortably shuffling around as he shuddered. The smell of sand had enough bad memories attached to it that it was going to make him sick.

He just hoped they didn’t have to stay for long. 

He wasn’t sure how long until _they’d_ show up.


	2. Chapter 2

Cole always seemed to fear dragons. Which was understandable, since all dragons hated his kind. He had a scar on his back from when a dragon tried to kill him when he was five. The diagonal dark line stretched from his right shoulder all the way down to his waist, leaving a permanent mark of trauma. That had been a rather tight spot, Cole having barely escaped by the skin of his teeth.

Cole was in another tight spot right now, because he was staring face to face with another dragon. A younger one, to be fair, not yet having shed the small layer of feathers that lined its wings. Probably only around five years old. It made a curious squawking noise and it looked up at the two of them, tilting its head to the side as it grasped at a small gourd-shaped melon in its talons. 

“Hey...hey there.” Cole spoke softly as he crouched in an effort to make himself look less intimidating. Baby dragons’ sense of smell wasn’t all that great, he was told, so he was a little bit less worried about the small dragon attacking him. But then again, he couldn’t be 100% certain that he was safe. His eyes dropped to the dark green vine that stuck out of the ground, a few melons attached to the withering root. 

“Yummy huh? Mind if we have some?” Cole asked softly, reaching a hand out. The small, winged lizard snarled— well,  _ attempted _ — but only managed to emit a small squeak. Cole couldn’t help but crack a smile as he broke a piece of the fruit off the vine, turning it around in his hands as he examined it for the telltale signs that it was ripe. His eyes gazed over the patches of red that dotted the thick, pale yellow skin before he nodded, satisfied. 

“How do you know if we can eat that?” Wu asked him, the small child’s legs shuffling around as he glanced at the small blue dragon as it tore into its own melon with its fangs, tossing aside pieces of the thick skin as it dug into the treasure inside. Cole leaned over again as he knelt down, reaching for another one to pull off the vine. 

“Well, the dragon can eat it, so can we.” Cole explained, setting aside the fruit he had plucked before holding a new one in his hands. 

It wasn’t  _ entirely  _ away from the truth. When he was little, he and the others would take the fruit and ground it with a plethora of other plants and roots that they had found, pretending to make potions and poisons and healing remedies. He remembered one of them had gotten sick when they had tried to drink the concoction, which had lead to their small group of pretend-alchemists being busted. And then they were chastised by the elders because  _ “Solace’s Vein was very hard to grow and blah blah blah...”  _

Which then lead to Cole arguing that if it was so delicate then they shouldn’t have planted the fruit in a place where anyone could get to them in the first place. 

Which  _ then _ lead to the elders pulling on his ears and scolding him even more. 

But here Cole was, about to pull and kill the only Solace’s Vein they would probably find here ever. He guesses he could  _ try  _ and plant some new ones when they split the fruit open. He pulled, and the melon jerked clean from the vine with a resounding crack before the entire vine collapsed into the sand, immediately withering away like it was in agony. He stood, holding each fruit under each arm, before nodding down at Wu. 

“You think this is enough?”

“Well, it’s better than nothing, no?” Cole shrugged. He glanced back at the dragon, who had stuck its entire head into the fruit, the feathers on its neck being stained with red meat of the melon. Cole shuddered, bile threatening to rise to the throat as all too familiar images flashed before his eyes. He wasn’t even aware that he had started trembling until Wu had spoken up once more. The earth ninja took a deep breath, trying to calm the jittering nerves that had begun to create a storm within his gut. He smiled down at the kid version of their Sensei, before he nodded.

“Alright, let’s go.”

They had just started to walk back before the earth around them began to shake. The two stopped in their tracks as the ground shook once more. Cole frowned, glancing around as he attempted to figure out what the hell was happening. It wasn’t his powers acting up— that, he was sure of. He scanned the horizon, trying to spot anything out of the ordinary.

He could smell it before he saw it.

A dragon descended from the heavens, landed just a few feet from the two of them, sending sand up everywhere. Its blue scales reflected the sunlight, the underside of its body covered in shiny gold plates. Two curled black horns sat on top of its head, long yellow whiskers coming off of its snout. A black metal cuff was secured around its neck, the dragon dragging a thick, broken metal chain that was connected to the leash. It opened its mouth and roared, revealing a row of bladed fangs stained with red.

Cole already understood what it was saying.

**_“Oni!”_ **

* * *

Cole and Wu had found themselves trapped in a small cave for a few hours, after running their asses off as the dragon chased after them with an intention to shred Cole to pieces. The earth ninja himself had triggered a small cave in to seal them in, the two of them collapsing to the ground as they could hear the baby dragon and its parent growling around outside, waiting for them to poke their heads out. He could hear the dragon outside growling, calling for him to show his face, to go out there fight him like a true warrior. 

Absolutely not. 

As if to make matters worse, Cole had nearly gotten a heart attack when they noticed the drawings on the wall. Swirling drawings of dragons and people crudely painted on the rough surface of the rock. The dragons were curled around the sky of the drawing, wings and bodies cut up as the drawings of the people on the ground aimed harpoons and swords at the heavens. 

And the paint was still  _ fresh _ . It still had that wet smell to it, that same smell of salt that came from the plant it was harvested from. He had reached up, touching the painting, and his hand had retracted with the copper colour sticking to his fingers. He reached down to rub it off his pants before he remembered that the paint from the plant was notoriously hard to scrub off. 

This was bad. This was really,  _ really  _ bad. He had prayed that they wouldn’t come into contact with anyone else while they were here, but now, he was sure that the second that they got out of their little hiding spot in the cave, the dragons would finish them off, or it would be  _ them. _

“What does it mean?” Wu was staring up at the cave art, his eyes scanning the entire canvas.

“It means we’re not alone.” Cole answered as he sat down. He was trembling slightly, his thundering heartbeat and jittering nerves were enough to make him feel sick. He groaned softly, swiping at his sweating forehead as he tapped his feet. Glancing around, he could see discard, crude paintbrushes scattered on the ground, and the remnants of a destroyed campfire, the area around it being charred black from the heat.

Day one of being in the First Realm and nothing had been going his way.

* * *

They had managed to make their way back to the Bounty after a few more hours. The dragons had finally lost interest. They shambled away from the entrance of the cave, their footsteps fading off into the distance. Once Cole and Wu noticed that the coast was clear, they ran all the way back, following their footsteps to retrace their path back to the crash site. Their shoes were absolutely filled with sand, the grain rubbing uncomfortably against their feet. The sun had already started to set, dying the sky a soft orangish-pink as the first few stars finally started to dot the heavens. 

If there was something Cole missed most about the First Realm, it was the dazzling sunset and the sunrises that the realm housed. Days of his childhood were spent climbing up a hill— more like a cliff— to watch the sunset. And then he’d sit there for an hour or two after the sun had been swallowed by the horizon, feeling the cold wind and sand against his skin. One time he had been gone for so long that a small group had been dispatched to look for him, the small party destroying everything in their wake in an effort to draw him to them. 

And then he got yelled at again.

“Guys! We’re back!” Cole yelled as they approached. The two melons in his arms were so unbelievably heavy in comparison in contrast to their small size, his muscles starting to burn and ache. He groaned as he put them down, the two fruit plopping to the ground with a resounding crack. He winced softly, too nervous to pick them up again, worrying that he’d find the sand underneath the melons stained red.

“We got food!” Cole called out. “Some...Sol— uhm, weird fruit or vegetable or something!”

Silence.

“Hello?” Cole asked, his voice a lot shakier than he had hoped it would come out. A thousand bad ideas had immediately sprung into his mind. He glanced around, taking the time to look around and sniff the air. He walked forward a bit more, stepping over the smiley face made of rocks.

_ “No no no no—” _

“Where’s the flying ship?” Wu inquired.

Oh no.

The Bounty was  _ gone _ . It seemed as if it had been torn from its spot by some giant crane, leaving a mark in the sand where it once lay. The hill was empty, the howling wind being the only thing to replace where her resting spot was. Cole could feel his heart absolutely  _ thundering  _ in his chest, rattling against his ribcage, beating in his ears like a drum. He felt like he was about to shut down, blackness tugging at the edges of his vision as he fought for control over his breathing.

_ “Calm down Cole. Calm down.” _

“Tire tracks!” Wu pointed out, aiming his index finger towards the ground. Sure enough, there were tire tracks in the sand. The tracks were wide, revealing a deep tread as it plowed through the hill, continuing past the dune of rock and sand. 

And the kid started to  _ follow _ them.

“Hey!” Cole called out after him. “Where are you going?”

_ “Please don’t tell me you’re following them, we can’t just go following them, we need a plan—”  _

“To save our friends.” Wu had turned around and glanced down at Cole, who stood at the base of the hill he had started to ascend.

The kid turned around and began to march again, leaving Cole in his wake.

A pause.

Cole sighed, rubbing at the bridge of his nose as he contemplated all the events that had led them to this moment. He took in a deep breath, hands on his hips as he took a glance upwards at the sky once more.

“Well, it’s not like it can get any worse.” Cole mumbled to himself.

He started to walk.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sphal is cole's oni name

“Sphal, sweetie. Wake up.”

“Mmph, mom?” Sphal groaned softly. He allowed his eyes to open, watching as the sunlight streamed in through his window, onto his bed. He could hear the crickets chirping outside as he stretched, opening his mouth to let out a big yawn. His mom was sitting on his cot, and she leaned down to give Sphal a soft kiss on the forehead. 

“It’s me, honey. It’s time to get up.” She said softly. Her horns gently bonked against his head, causing him to giggle loudly. She smiled softly, brushing away his hair from his face, the sun behind her casting a halo of gold all around her form. 

She got up from her seat on his bed, moving over to open the wooden blinds of the window. The cool summer air came blowing in, billowing the covers and causing the small Oni to shiver slightly. She chuckled softly, ruffling his hair and getting up from her seat on his bed. 

“I’m going to be working in the fields for a while. Your dad is out hunting. Be good and stay out of trouble, okay? He should be back soon.” She smiled once again, revealing her fangs, as she leaned down and pressed another gentle kiss to his forehead. He responded with an enthusiastic nod, already making moves to get out of bed. She chuckled softly, gave him a gentle pat on the head, and walked out of the room.

* * *

Sphal was sitting in the living room, playing with a couple of toys carved crudely from wood. He made them clunk together a few times, acting out the epic battle scenario that he had envisioned in his head. He mimicked the sounds of swords clashing and sounds of punching impacts as he tossed them around and giggled.

In through the open window came the sounds. 

At first, he was sure it was the noises of some older Oni getting into trouble and being scolded by some of the elders, but he could hear as it soon moulded into high hitched screaming and gruff yelling. Sphal himself had gotten up from the floor, his heart beginning to pound in panic as he ran to the window right beside the front door, ditching the majority of his wooden toys on the floor as he did so. He still clenched one wooden figure in his hands, his fingers gripped tightly around the hard material.

Glancing out, he could see people running past his house, stumbling over boxes and crates as they tore down the path, screaming for their lives. Some houses were burning in the distance, casting their smoke into the sky. Even from so far away, Sphal could feel the blistering heat against his skin, and could smell the smog as it entered his house through the cracks under the door and the window. 

The front door slammed open, revealing his father, Lou in the gateway. He held a bloody, crude spear in his right hand, his eyes scanning the house. His gaze soon settled on Sphal, who had run up to his father, staring up at him with fearful eyes. The small Oni kid’s lip was trembling slightly, trying his best not to break down.

“Dad?” Sphal managed to choke out in alarm. “What’s going on?”

“We have to go!” Lou responded in a yell after a pause. In an instant, he had slung the spear over his shoulder and scooped Sphal up in his arms. The small Oni could smell the scent of blood on his father’s garb, and could see his tusks stained with red. Sphal took one final glance back at the place he called home before Lou began running down the path, watching as their little home disappeared from view. 

He would never see it again. 

“Mom! Where’s mom?!” Sphal cried, being jostled around as Lou ran through the dirt pathed streets of their small village, their home burning to the ground all around them. They were joined with a few other screaming and running Onis, all of them scrambling for a safe place to hide. The air was thick with the smell of smoke and ashes.

Lou didn’t respond. 

Sphal instead, looked over his father’s shoulder, looking back at the path that they had come from. He could see the orange glow from fires as they ate away at the walls of the houses, lapping at the wood and caving in the roofs. The bark of the trees began to peel away, leaving the ugly flesh left by the fire.

And up in the hills, Sphal could see people.

They weren’t Oni.

Sphal had heard about a group of people that lived way out in the north. He had heard stories about how they burned everything they touched, how they slaughtered everything in their wake. He heard how their skin was a deathly white, how it was pulled tightly against their bones. The Elders would use them as a cautionary tale to teach the smaller Oni not to wander too far. Sphal had heard stories of them killing Oni and using their blood as paint on their skin, how they’d display the bodies of their hunts in their villages.

He had never believed them until now.

He could see their silhouettes as they stood in the fields, the fire eating away at the crops as they descended down the hills, aiming contraptions down into the village before firing. Some Oni that were lagging behind Sphal and his father jerked and collapsed to the ground, the ground underneath them blossoming in a dark puddle as the earth stained with their blood. Arrows sprouted from their backs like trees. He watched as a child, younger than him, knelt down beside the unmoving body of his mother, sobbing and pulling at her garments, trying to drag her along.

They disappeared out of sight when Lou turned a corner, causing the landscape of fire and death to be hidden from view behind a house that still managed to stay upright. There was a slight pause as they stood in the small alleyway, watching as a few more Oni ran past.

“Don’t make a sound.” Lou hissed. Sphal gulped, before he covered his own mouth as they waited. There was the sound of loud footsteps, before two of the outsiders ran past their hiding place, raising weapons and yelling incoherent words. They chased a couple of Oni children, before the four of them disappeared behind a corner. The small path was now quiet, save for the sound of burning and chrinkling wood. The sounds of screaming were now faded in the distance, paired with the sounds collapsing houses and the firing of arrows.

“It’s okay Sphal. It’s gonna be okay.” Lou spoke in a low voice. Sphal buried his face in his father’s shoulder, letting out small hitched sobs as he hugged the wooden toy figure to his chest. Gently rubbing his son’s back, Lou poked his head out of the alleyway, checking to see if the coast was clear. Once he decided that it was safe to do so, he stepped out into the charred and burned path of their small village.

“Don’t look, son.” Lou warned him. Sphal kept his face buried in his father’s shoulder, too afraid to lift his head, fearing he’d never be able to unsee the image that awaited him. He could feel as he was jostled around as Lou began to run, could hear as he began to choke on the smoke that began to clog their vision.

“Here!” A voice called out through the smoke. Lou turned, and saw a figure walking out of the smog. At first, he was sure it was one of the outsiders and began to reach for his spear, but the silhouette walked out of the shadow and Lou realized that it was one of the village elders. His skin was coated with a thin film of smoke, and his eyebrow was cut and leaking purple blood down the side of his face. His long, dark gray hair was frizzled and clung to his face from sweat.

“Xer!” Lou cried out, running up to the elder. He reached out a hand for the older to take, but the elder simply swatted it away.

“We must get you and the little one away from here.” Xer spoke gravely, gesturing to the small trembling Oni in Lou’s arms. He reached a hand out to pat Sphal on the head, his heart dropping down to his stomach once he would hear the small child trying his best to hold back his sobs. He looked back up at Lou, before he moved back and motioned for them to follow him. They ran through the ruined remains of their home, past the bodies of their neighbors and the remnants of their lives.

“My wife, have you heard from her?” Lou asked as they sprinted to the edge of the village, where the houses became more spread out. They could still hear screaming off to the distance, and knew that they didn’t have much time before the outsiders would soon descend upon them.

A pause.   
  


“No. I’m sorry. You shouldn’t get your hopes up. They attacked the fields first.” Xer answered. Sphal could feel as his father tensed, but said nothing more.

“Come.” Xer spoke. He pushed open the door to his small shop, brushing past the beaded veil that kept insects from flying inside. They walked into his crumbling business, with half the roof gone, being eaten away by fire. 

The shelves were slanted and their contents were strewn across the floor. Books and potions lay scattered on the ground, all of them destroyed to some variable. The Tree of Life, Xer’s constant source of water for his brews, that grew from the middle of the shop and out of the hole in the roof was beginning to burn, the water that ran down from the bark to the fountains below long since dry.

Lou set Sphal down on one of the large exposed roots of the tree, carved to be shaped like a simple bench, as Xer fumbled around with some things underneath his table. The elder grabbed some half destroyed chalk, and began to mumble as he began to mark his arms. Meanwhile, Lou grabbed destroyed pieces of wood and tried his best to barricade the half demolished door. Satisfied, he made his way back to his son. 

Sitting down beside him, he surveyed the destroyed shop. 

“Here.” Xer spoke up after a few minutes. His arms were now decorated with markings, making his way over to the father and son. They all jumped a few feet as they could hear a group of screaming outsiders as they charged past the door, Lou running to the gate to peek out of a hole in the wood. He watched as they cornered a helpless Oni a few meters short of the door, but turned away, refusing to see more. He could hear a loud scream of pain a few seconds after, watching as Xer grabbed Sphal’s hand and ran up to him.

“Quickly. I’ll open a portal to another realm. You’ll be safe there.”

“...We can’t just run! We have to defend this realm!” 

“You can’t! You’re going to put your son in danger! There’s no one left.” Xer spat back at him. Lou opened his mouth to argue, but decided against it and closed his mouth, knowing that the elder had a point. He stared down at the ground, silence seeming to press in around them.

“What about you?” Lou finally demanded, looking up to glance at the older Oni. The elder Oni simply shrugged before he shook his head, wiping away at the blood that began to dribble off his jawline

“Don’t worry about me. I’ve lived old enough.” Xer responded. Lou was about to protest, before they heard the sound of people trying to break down the door. They turned, and could see the door beginning to groan and shudder from the constant impacts. Lou ran up and began to push against the door, his body jerking with each crash against the wood. The lumber began to splinter and break from under the force, and they could hear the gleeful laughter of people outside.

“Quickly! You must leave!” Xer cried out as he came to help Lou hold the door close. He crossed his arms over his chest in an “x” shape as he pressed his weight against the door, and closed his eyes. He mumbled some unintelligible words from underneath his breath, and Sphal watched with wonder as the markings drawn onto his hands began to glow. He thrust his arms forward, and a black smoke began to curl in from the edges of the room, forming a large cloud of cold smoke near the center of the shop, between them and the tree.

“Go! Now!” The elder screamed. Lou glanced at him for a few seconds, but a few seconds in that moment felt like an eternity. He was about to say something, before an arm breached the door and began to blindly grab at the pair holding the gate closed. Lou unclipped a knife from his belt and stabbed at it a few times, causing the owner of the arm to shriek in pain as it retracted.

“Leave!” Xer yelled. Lou bit his lip as he tried desperately to come up with another idea, but seeing the pleading look on Xer’s face, he knew that there wasn’t any other option. 

“Thank you.” Lou spoke softly. 

Xer responded with a nod.

And with that, Lou ran. He took off towards the cloud of black smoke, and could hear as the door behind them began to crumple to the ground. He grabbed Sphal’s wrist in a deathly tight grip, all out dragging the small Oni boy towards the plume of fog. Sphal looked towards the elder holding the door close, watching as Xer gave him a warm smile, despite the countless amount of arms reaching through the cracks of the gate.

They disappeared into the black fog.

As soon as they did, Xer raised his index finger to his left arm, nicking himself on the skin where a line of the chalk lay, severing the connection. Immediately, the portal collapsed as the smoke dispersed. The door finally caved, as the horde of the outsiders came streaming in, brandishing their weapons with a lust for blood.

And as they slay the last remaining Oni in the small village, the Tree of Life in his shop finally withered and died.


	4. Chapter 4

It was a long trek before Wu and Cole found any signs of civilization. The houses and buildings jutted out from the sand uglily, exposing their inner framework and crumpling walls. From their spot perched up on the small cliff, they had a clear view of the entire hideout. Through his makeshift telescope (that he totally didn’t make by cupping his hands together) he could see the rest of his family, being led by a hunter that had a set of robot spider limbs for legs.

“They’re heading towards the arena. But I don’t think they’re about to see a show.” Cole concluded after a while of watching. The rough rock of the cliff they were lying on dug into his chest uncomfortably; no doubt it would leave him with some scrapes and scuff marks once he got up. The sun was excruciating against his back; no longer the gentle touch of the rays he had felt when he first lived in this realm. 

“Then we gotta go and save them!” Young Wu exclaimed, before getting up from his position and making a dash down the steep hill, right towards the buildings. In one fluid motion, Cole had grabbed the back of the toddler’s shirt with his right hand, and dragged him back to his spot beside the earth ninja. 

“Are you crazy? The place is probably swarming with hunters!” Cole hissed in a low tone, as he forced the small child to duck down with him. Wu responded with a frown, clearly unhappy with the situation, and crossed his arms.

“Never put off tomorrow what can be done today.” Wu finally answered. The earth ninja sputtered for a few seconds, before glancing off to his side to stare at the small child. 

“Did you just steal what I said?”

“I didn’t steal, I just borrowed your wisdom like you borrowed it from me.” Wu responded with a small smirk, pulling a deep sigh from the earth ninja. Shaking his head, Cole scanned the area once more, taking note that many dragons shambled around in chains and metal harnesses, being forced around by hunters holding whips. 

“You’re stalling.”

“I’m not  _ stalling _ , okay? I’m coming up with a plan.” Cole countered back. 

Okay  _ fine _ . He  _ was _ stalling. The last thing he wanted was to waltz directly into the hunter’s camp, right in a place where all the dragons could smell him. He was sure a few of the hunters would be able to recognize him as well, even though now he donned a completely new look and had grown a full sixteen years. His heart was pounding in his chest and his head, sounding like the drums right before a war. 

“Over there!” The young Sensei pointed out, gesturing to a small clothesline right at the edge of the hill that held several articles of clothing. 

“We can use those to blend in!” Wu spoke. Cole grumbled a bit, trying not to let Wu know that he had heard what he’d just said. 

“I dunno...looks pretty dangerous to me. I—” Cole hadn’t even finished his sentence before he took note that Wu was now scurrying down the steep hill, making a beeline right towards the outpost. Heart leaping into his throat, he reached out a hand to grab the small child, but was too late. He watched in dread as Wu snuck his way to the clothesline, attempting to grab some clothes but failing due to his short stature.

“Oh  _ come _ on.” Cole grumbled to himself before he skidded down the hill after him. 

* * *

Technically, Cole could use his shapeshifting abilities to make himself look more like a hunter in order to blend in better, but he wasn’t ready to explain to Wu why and how he was able to mimic the hunters’ look perfectly. He was sure that trying to shapeshift just out of eyeshot of everyone else was his fastest ticket to an execution. 

So now, there they stood, with their crude face paint slathered across their faces. Miraculously, Cole still had his fake moustache tucked into the pocket of his gi from a few days past, and managed to get it to stick onto his face after a few tries. After twitching his nose around to see if it would stick and being satisfied with the result, he held onto Wu’s shoulders as they strode their way over to where a large group of hunters had congregated, trying their luck as they attempted to join their ranks. 

By then, the sun had already started to set, and the signature pink sky finally began to poke itself out of the horizon. The familiar strong breeze rustled its way through the vast desert, sending grains of dust and sand to cascade across the dunes and hills of the dead world they had found themselves stuck in.

The vehicle they stood beside was much like a large, armoured eighteen-wheeler. Large spikes carved out of bone jutted out in every direction, completed with two large wheels in the back and with a pair of tank treads in the front. A small cramped cage was integrated into the vehicle near the rear, and Cole would see small glimpses of the rest of his family locked behind the bars.

And surprisingly, the hunters’ didn’t seem to suspect him that much. After a bit of bickering back and forth, one of the hunter’s— Daddy Long Legs, he was called— nodded towards one of the turrets mounted to the giant hunk of metal that somehow had wheels. Cole swung himself up to sit in the worn-down seat that came with the turret, as Wu crammed himself to sit awkwardly on the handle of the mounted gun. By now, the sun had already set, the top of the star barely poking out of the horizon. The sky was a dark, dark blue, a few stars already beginning to reveal themselves. The breeze had gotten colder, and Wu shuddered involuntarily. Cole reached out and gently pulled the hood over Wu’s head in an effort to give the small Sensei some warmth. 

“The hunt begins!” A hunter with a tall top hat and a pegleg and about three gold teeth in his mouth cried out, causing a loud roar to ripple through the rest of the hunters. Iron Baron, he was called. The hunters’ leader. He lifted a robotic arm in the air, causing the rest of the hunters to pump their fists into the air. Iron Baron grabbed the crooked steering wheel and pulled a lever, causing the truck to groan as it roared to life. 

They took off into the desert.

* * *

The first time Cole saw Rocky, he was sure he actually had a brief heart attack. The large fire dragon that Kai was riding had introduced the ninja to the rest of the elemental dragons. The earth dragon had prowled over to Cole, sniffing at the earth ninja’s chest, before it’s mouth curled back into a snarl as a growl resonated deep within it’s throat.

_ “Oni.”  _ It rumbled as it huffed a breath on the earth ninja, rustling his gi. Cole edged backwards, his face several shades lighter as he trembled under the dragons’ gaze. The earth ninja was gripping the staff of his golden scythe so tight that his knuckles were beginning to turn white.

_ “An Oni?”  _ The ice dragon questioned as its ears perked up, sauntering up beside the rock dragon to gaze down at the small disguised Oni.

_ “The earth elemental.”  _ The rock dragon responded as it lowered it’s head to gaze at Cole from eye level. Cole looked like he was ready to cry, already beginning to inch backwards slowly, trying his best not to make any sudden moves. He knew what dragons did to Oni. He had heard countless stories of the battles between Oni and dragons from the village elders. And now he was going to be the next cautionary tale that parents told their kids.

He knew he was about to die.

_ “Can he understand us?”  _ The fire dragon rumbled as Kai got onto the saddle strapped to the creature’s back. The dragon got up, moving towards the exit of the cave that they had rendezvoused at. Kai and his dragon rode out of the cave, taking all the warmth with them, leaving the cave cold and dark. 

_ “No.”  _ The ice dragon responded as it turned back to walk back to where Zane stood. Soon enough, the pair had exited the cavern and waited for Jay and Cole and their respective dragons outside. 

_ “He is merely a child. And he wields the power of earth. I shall give him a chance.”  _ Rock dragon pointed out. He moved forward and gently pressed his snout against Cole’s chest, causing the earth ninja to snap out of his fear-stricken state. He glanced down at the dragon in front of him. Shakily, Cole reached a hand out and gently placed it on the dragon’s muzzle. The creature responded with a low, but unintimidating, rumble. 

“Hah! The dragons like you, Cole!” Jay laughed as he mounted his own dragon.

_ “The Oni seems to be much more scared of us.”  _ The blue lightning dragon pointed out as it rose up and clambered towards the exit, almost throwing Jay off the seat. The only ones now left in the cave were Cole and the dragon that he was supposed to now mount. 

_ “Why are you here, child?”  _ The earth dragon questioned as Cole hesitantly clambered onto the saddle fastened to the dragon’s back. 

“Hey...no hard feelings, right?” Cole chuckled nervously as he sat down. 

_ “No, child. None at all.” _

* * *

Seeing the wind dragon all tied up after the hunt was a jarring experience. 

Hearing that the hunters were going to  _ eat  _ the poor creature was even more so. 

To be fair, Cole doubted the hunters knew much about the flora that used to grow all across the First Realm. The place used to have fruits and vegetables and grains and stuff that could feed a village for months if they knew how to grow it. But it’s not like there was much around, anyway. The realm appeared so dead and desolate than how he had seen it last. 

But now here they were, him and their small Sensei, about to build a metal dragon. They stared down at the hastily drawn blueprint by Jay, already getting to work cutting pieces of plywood and scrap metal. The screws and nails they provided were rusty, but they would work in a pinch. The hammer’s leather handle was practically falling apart, forcing Cole to have to readjust it every few seconds. 

The afternoon was spent sawing and screwing and nailing the framework together, and the evening was used fastening the blowtorch to the head and pulling tarp over the frame of its wings. With a few more minutes, they had attached a chair to the cockpit.

And then they were done. A day of hard work, and Cole’s gi had never seen more wear and tear than ever before. Not to mention it was soaked in his sweat. He stood on the edge of the small mountain, overlooking the hunter’s village in its entirety. The cool night breeze welcomed him as he watched the hunters wander around in their village that they called Dead’s End, staring them down like a hawk. 

“We ready?” Cole asked, glancing over his shoulder to face the small Sensei. Wu had sat on the chair in front of the pedals and levers, the dragon creaking under his own weight, but it held.

Wu grinned.

“Yes.”

* * *

The plan went surprisingly well. As the metal dragon creaked and soared in the skies above, flames erupting from the blowtorch, Cole snuck to where the ninja were being kept. He worked on the chains as the chaos waged on from all around them, fiddling with the lock that kept his family in place. With a quick turn from the key, the chains fell off and the rest of his team was free.

And now here they were running through the small paths of the hunters’ village after Kai had set some of the dragons free, hacking and slashing at the chains. 

As they came across a clearing, they glanced back up at the sky. The outline of a large dragon flew in front of the moon, its wingspan spanning the entire diameter. It was bathed in shadows, but with each downward flap of its wings, enough light was revealed to show small parts and ridges of the creature.

“Man, Wu is  _ really  _ selling it, isn’t he?” Jay chuckled.

“I don’t remember us building it that big…” Cole trailed off. They watched as the dragon continued to fly in front of the moon. A large crash off to their left signalled them to the ruins of the dragon that they planned and built. It was wedged between two buildings, smoke coming off from the destroyed and crushed blowtorch. Little Wu crawled out of the debris and plopped onto the ground, rattled a bit but unharmed. 

“Hold on. If that’s not Wu, then that’s…” 

“The real Firstbourne!” Jay called out.

And now Cole was sure that he was dead. 

The colossal dragon reared its head back and spat a large fireball at them from where she hovered in the heavens. Diving, they hit the ground as the dirt where they once stood was kicked up from the force of the hit. The center of the blast was melted, molten lava eating away at the gravel. They took off running without a second word, Wu struggling to keep up with his short feet. They tore down the streets of the village, homes around them burning and crumpling to the ground as they could hear the sounds of screaming worming their way through the noises of fire. The smoke was clogging through their noses, making tears spring to their eyes as they ran blindly through the fog. People ignored them as they ran through the streets, all of them trying to find a safe place to hide and seek refuge. 

“Cole?!” Jay snapped as the ninja skidded to a halt once they heard him call out. They turned back to where Jay was looking, taking in that Cole was now standing stock-still in the middle of the path, with burning buildings collapsing all around him as the enslaved dragons began to take off towards the sky.

_ Some houses were burning in the distance, casting their smoke into the sky. Even from so far away, Sphal could feel the blistering heat against his skin, and could smell the smog as it entered his house through the cracks under the door and the window. _

_ He could see the orange glow from fires as they ate away at the walls of the houses, lapping at the wood and caving in the roofs. _

It was exactly the  _ same _ . 

Two different times, one same experience.

Cole just stood there, watching and feeling as the carnage unfolded from all around him. He was aware that his breathing had started to pick up, his breaths coming out in gasps as he attempted to calm himself down. The fear he felt was nauseating, bile threatening to rise up from his throat. The screams, the fire, the sounds of combat all melted together until it was a blur of noise, overlapped with the loud sound of his heart beating against his ribs—

“Cole! Come on!” A hand grabbed his arm, shaking him out of his thoughts. Looking down, he realized that Kai was the one who had a hold of him, dragging him, forcing the earth ninja to move his legs. He stumbled along, trying to boot his trembling limbs into working order as they started to run again. The team flanked him on all sides, occasionally tossing concerned glances in his direction, but they said nothing.

They took off into the night.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OH GOD IM SORRY ITS BEEN LIKE A MONTH IVE BEEN WORKING ON THIS FIC I SWEAR

The ninja ran for what could have been hours. The vast desert stretched around them for miles, wind picking up and shovelling fistfuls of sand into their eyes and noses. The fact that it was nighttime did little to dissuade the heat that rose up from the earth. They were drenched in their own sweat, muscles pushing painfully as they forced themselves to move, to put as much distance between them and the hunters as possible. Cole ran near the rear of the group, wading through the sand sluggishly. The smell of smoke was still stuck in his nose, the images of the burning village appearing in his vision every time he blinked. 

A hand on his shoulder snapped him out of his trace and he jerked violently with a sharp gasp, looking off to his right side. Kai was staring at him with a rather concerned expression, and the rest of the team stopped upon hearing Cole’s gasp. They looked back at the pair with confusion before Jay stepped forward.

“What was  _ that _ , Cole? You froze.” Jay asked the black ninja as the rest of the group converged around Cole. Kai removed his hand from Cole’s shoulder, glancing up at the earth ninja with an equally concerned expression.

“Cole— oh dear, he’s so pale.” Zane pointed out. Cole’s heartbeat hadn’t calmed since they ran from the hunters’ village, his hands fighting back the tremors that had taken hold of them. The nauseating fear rose itself back up through his throat once more and he tasted bile. His rapid breathing was causing his vision to be dark and splotchy near the edges. He shook his head and shut his eyes, causing the horrible image of the burned village to float back into his memory.

It was too much.

Through his blurred vision, he could see Zane reach out to him, concern etched all over his face. Cole grumbled, waving his hand around as if to shoo the ice ninja away. He staggered, dragging his feet through the sand. His skin felt like it was on too tight, stretched painfully over his bones, the Oni inside of him just wanting to shift back. He was certain that remaining in the First Realm was doing something to him, like the realm itself was calling to him, wanting him to return to his roots.

_ Return to your original form. _

_ You don’t belong like that. _

“Cole? You o—”

Cole turned to the side and retched. 

He was aware of the team crying out in alarm, shouting, and could see as Kai immediately joined his side, rubbing circles into the earth ninja’s back while trying to simultaneously hold back his dreads as the earth ninja threw up. 

“Do we have any water?” Jay asked.

Cole dry heaved some more as he emptied out the contents of his stomach before he weakly stood back up, stumbling on his feet before Kai caught him and allowed the earth ninja to lean against him. Cole swiped at his mouth with the back of his hand, that horrible taste of bile still stuck on his tongue. He visibly grimaced, spitting into the sand in an effort to chase away the aftertaste. 

“Cole. Hold out your hands. Cup them.”

Cole weakly did as he was told, shakily holding out his hands in front of him like he was a panhandler begging for spare change. He watched as Kai and Zane got to work, using their elements together to melt ice into Cole’s hand. Soon enough, Cole had a small amount of water cupped in his hands, and he raised the liquid to his lips and used it to rinse his mouth, spitting it out a few seconds later.

“You good?” Kai asked from beside him. 

The team cast each other a few nervous glances as Cole attempted to regain his breath, taking in large gulps of air with his mouth. Finally, the earth ninja swallowed thickly with some difficulty and shook his head in an effort to clear his mind. He moved away from where he leaned against Kai, fumbling a bit as he attempted to regain his balance. The fire ninja moved forward to help but stopped once Cole shook his head a bit and waved his arms, clearly indicating that help wasn’t wanted.

“It’s fine. Got a bit overwhelmed, that’s all.” Cole replied with a grunt, picking at the grains of sand stuck underneath his fingernails. The rest of the team looked at each other as if debating to say anything else. Wu frowned a bit, but said nothing, as did the rest of them. The wind howled around them as their only response for a few more seconds before Zane spoke up.

“You should drink some water.”

“No, it’s— it’s okay. I feel like if I drink something now I’ll just throw it up again.” Cole gave a bitter laugh before he took in a deep breath and let out a loud exhale. 

“Okay okay. I’m okay.” Cole continued, but it was clear that he was talking to himself rather than acknowledging the rest of his team. He looked out at the rest of the squad, taking in their concerned expressions, before he forced a smile, even though the action made his skin feel like it was sanding away on his cheekbones. He reached a hand to his face, almost expecting for his fingers to come into contact with blood as it felt like his skull was breaking through the skin. 

That can’t be a good feeling.

“We’re all tired. We should find somewhere to rest up.” Cole finished before he took the initiative and walked past them all. He could feel their gazes digging into his back like arrows, but chose to ignore it. He could hear them start to walk behind him, and he let out a huge sigh as he stared out over the horizon.

* * *

To have a hunter helping them was something Cole could add to his “Top 200 Things I’d Never Thought Would Happen To Me” list. But now, Faith was the closest thing to an ally that they had. But he was sure that she could see through his facade, and could see the Oni that lay underneath his skin. Every time Faith looked at him for a second too long, he’d break out into sweats and try his best to seem nondescript. 

And now they were standing on the line between Oni and dragon territory after a quick scuffle from the other hunters. An ice dragon had chased them as well, and Cole was sure it wanted to rip him into ribbons. 

There they stood, right on the edge of Oni land, large rock spikes jutted out from the sand, lining the perimeter, their tips decorated with the skulls of dragons the Oni had slain, stark white bone contrasting against the black sand that spread across Oni land. Cole let out a nervous chuckle, instinctively already inching away, like the sand was radiating a heat that burned him.

“Are you sure it’s this way?” Faith asked, turning around to face Wu.   
  


“I...think so?” Wu shrugged.

“Do not let your fear control your decisions. Your first instinct is often correct. Let’s go.” Faith jumped right back into her vehicle and gunned the engine. The headlights came back on, causing Cole to squint as he shielded his eyes. The rest of the ninja cast glances at each other but followed in her example. Cole mounted it up onto the vehicle that Wu was driving, that nauseating feeling already returning to the pit of his stomach.

“Do we  _ have  _ to go that way?” Cole questioned nervously.

“Have faith, Cole. We won’t run into any Oni” Wu responded.

“Yeah, right. It’s because they’re all dead.” The earth ninja muttered under his breath as Wu started up the engine, the vehicle the young Sensei was driving already beginning to hover above the ground. 

They rode off.

* * *

It wasn’t long before they bumped into a structure, nestled in between two cliff faces. Large, tall, wooden gates with metal framework loomed over them, accompanied by a sculpture of an Oni who looked down at whoever approached. The wood itself was rotten from years of neglect, rust eating away at the silver frame. The statue’s stone arms coiled around the two sides of the gates, carved with precision and care. The moonlight glinted off its sharp features, causing the sculpture’s tusks and eyes to glow.

“See Kai? Oni art.” Cole chuckled nervously as he dismounted from his vehicle. Kai muttered something unintelligible, still staring up at the stone structure. 

“Wait, Oni can shapeshift, right? So they can be anyone.”

“Yeah, what’s your point?” Kai, turning to face Jay, who had just talked.

“Well, how do we know that they haven’t turned into one of us?!” Jay accused, leaning right into Kai’s space. The fire ninja stared at him for a few seconds, before he grunted and pushed the blue ninja away with an annoyed groan. Cole, on the other hand, was scared shitless. His eyes were wide and his breathing became more difficult. There’s no way. There’s no way that Jay was onto him. It had to be a coincidence. There’s no—

“The door’s open.” Zane noted, causing Cole to snap out of his panicked trance. Sure enough, the gates were slightly ajar, the red paint on the wood already completely faded, the material showing clear signs of deterioration. The metal frame on the door was rusted, pieces of it peeling away.

“What is this place anyway?” Kai muttered.

“It’s an Oni stronghold.” Cole responded without a second thought. Even saying that word conjured up the image of the polished black courtyard that lay beyond the gates, multiple of them scattered across Oni land, a large rectangular space with tall black pillars dotting its perimeter. He had memories of playing in the courtyard with other Oni children, chasing small critters around and the elders lounging on seats weaved out of old tree roots. A tall building would loom in the distance, serving as a small backup hideout if the stronghold failed.

Wait—

“How did you know that, Cole?” Zane questioned.

“Uh well, just look at it.” The earth ninja sputtered out, gesturing to the cold gates with a hand. He could see their faces, could see the confusion written all over their features. He looked around as if hoping he would see something that could help him take the heat off. When he found nothing, he inched backwards some more, hoping someone would break the silence and bail him out.

“Looks like no ones around.” Kai spoke up.

“They’re all dead.” Cole spat out bitterly.

“...how did you know  _ that _ Cole?” Zane asked. 

Cole stood in silence for a while, fidgeting with his hands as he looked around. A cold breeze hummed through the now black desert, rustling the tattered remains of his gi. He looked down at the ground, all the world seeming to press in all around him. The ninja seemed to move in closer, and Faith had begun to squint her eyebrows in suspicion.

“Cole, you’ve been really weird ever since we got here.” Jay noted.

“Yeah, you sure you’re okay? You literally threw up back there.” Kai inquired. He moved forward, reaching out a hand to place it on Cole’s shoulder. The earth ninja jerked away from the touch, like Kai’s hand was acid. Kai recoiled like he had been punched in the gut, as if Cole’s response was the most hurtful thing to ever happen to him.

“You can tell us stuff, okay? You know that, right?” Jay raised an eyebrow.

Cole bit his lip, looking around. Was he about to do this? If he was sure he said anything, he was sure that Faith would shoot him dead immediately. He cast another glance around, reading the room. 

“Faith could you...leave us?” Cole questioned nervously. 

The hunter glanced around at them, before she snorted a bit and slung her rifle over her shoulder. She turned around, beginning to walk a bit further away, to where their vehicles lay parked.

“Try anything and I kill you.” She huffed as she left. Cole let out a cold chuckle, hoping that the shadows would hide him and how pale his face had gotten. Wu tilted his head at him, scratching his head as he looked at Cole. It looked like he wanted to say something, but couldn’t come up with the words. He looked back at Faith, before glancing back at the earth ninja, trying to see a connection.

And then it was silent for a while.

“Well? Cole?” Kai crossed his arms, huffing. He tapped his foot against the sand, impatient with the situation. Zane placed a cool hand on the fire ninja’s shoulder, as if signalling him to give Cole some time to gather his thoughts. The earth ninja cast him a relieved smile before he took a deep breath. He swallowed the lump from within his throat and exhaled loudly. They all stared at him, waiting with baited breath.

“I...I’m…” 

“Well? Spit it out already.” Kai spoke up.   
  


Cole took another deep breath.

Do or die.

“Do— do you ever wonder where the Oni are?” Cole asked nervously, starting by gauging their reaction to the topic. The rest of the team looked around at each other for a few more seconds, before they turned back to the earth ninja. 

“Well, you said they were dead, Cole.” Jay answered, crossing his arms.

“Yes, he did. How do you even know that?” Wu inquired, leaning forward a bit. They all did; forming a small huddled group around the earth ninja. Cole’s hands were now trembling as they moved closer, and he closed them into fists in an attempt to control the tremors. There was no escape now.

“Because,” Cole started. 

He took a deep breath and sighed.

“Because I am one.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this fic is still alive i swear

The group was silent as they stared, dumbfounded at Cole. The dark-skinned ninja could feel his breath beginning to pick up, sweat breaking out across his skin. He clasped his clammy and trembling hands together, looking down at his feet. His breathing cycle was getting more difficult to maintain, his vision getting more blurry with each passing second. He nervously looked up, catching their fearful expressions. He had hoped it would go better, but seeing how they appeared...it hurt more than any punch ever would.

He took a fearful step back, just wishing that the shocked faces of his family would turn into something else,  _ anything _ else. He glanced around, terror and fear permeating his entire being. He could see Zane struggling to form words, the whistling of the wind being his only response. He looked at Kai, the fire ninja looking angry and betrayed. He scanned through the faces of his family, seeing nothing but shock and horror. Cole swallowed thickly, tears already prickling at the corners of his eyes. 

“G— guys—” Cole started but was cut off by Jay.

“Y— you’re an Oni?” The lighting ninja whispered. Cole looked at him sadly, eyes flickering between Jay and the team before the earth ninja bit his bottom lip and nodded stiffly. 

“Yes.”

They stared at him, and he stared back.

“Cole…” Zane began, moving forward slightly as they all turned their attention to him. He held out his hands, talking in that soothing tone that he always used when he needed to convince one of them to go to bed. “You’re probably just tired. You should get some rest.”

Cole was silent, staring at them. 

“You don’t...believe me?”

“Well, I—” Zane started. 

And then Cole shifted. He closed his eyes, allowing his skin to darken to its normal dark gray colour, allowing the white markings to decorate themselves on his surface. He growled as his tusks grew through his bottom set of gums, poking out of his mouth. Small horns poked out of his forehead, curling upwards. His legs shifted into their original shape, much like the hind legs of a deer, albeit way more muscled. Thick paws replaced where his feet were, and a long, thin tail with a tuft of black hair at its end coiled out from his rear. 

Stunned silence. 

“W— what the  _ fuck _ .” Jay ran a hand through his sweaty hair, casting nervous glances at the rest of the team. They all remained silent, staring at Cole like he was some new threat. Cole stepped back up some more, his back hitting against the wooden gate of the stronghold, metal and wood beginning to creak. He had his hands in front of him as if he was expecting a scuffle and was preparing to defend himself. The ninja could see as thin tear streaks flowed down Cole’s face, his features beginning to contort as he fought back the urge to cry. His long, pointed ears lay flat against his head, lip trembling as he moved back some more, beginning to push the gates open.

“ _ Please,” _ Cole begged, hands outstretched towards the ninja. “I— I can explain, I swear.”

“ _ Why?!” _ Kai finally shouted, causing Cole and the rest of them to flinch. Kai looked  _ angry,  _ his eyes burning with a rage that they had seen only a handful of times before. Cole let out a shaky exhale, lowering his head in shame, his dreads falling past his face and covering his features.

“I— I’m sorry—”

“Why didn’t you tell us?! Did you not trust us?! Is that it?!!” Kai yelled, catching the attention of Faith. She walked over, her eyes widening at the sight of Cole’s new form. She struggled to form words for a few seconds before a look of rage and fury replaced her features.

“Oni!” She yelled, raising her harpoon and charging with an intent to kill. She was immediately stopped by Wu, who held her back with one arm. She struggled against his hold, a look of pure determination on her face. Determination to tear Cole to pieces.

“Please, remain calm.” He urged, and her previous look of anger was replaced by one of confusion. Wu gave her a small smile, nudging her to leave them alone for a few more minutes. After a few seconds of deliberation, she growled in displeasure and stormed away, knowing that she was outnumbered. 

“Why?” Kai questioned, this time in a much softer tone. Cole shifted around awkwardly, rubbing at his arms as he looked down at his feet. The earth ninja thought for a few more seconds, before he looked up at the ninja, a small glint of hope in his eyes. He chewed on his bottom lip for a couple of moments, before he glanced away again.

“Y— you’re not...you don’t hate me?”

“Hate you? You didn’t do anything wrong. You’re our Cole.” It was Zane’s turn to talk. He moved forward, slowly, like Cole was some cornered animal who would bolt at any sudden movement. The ice ninja stood right in front of Cole, a hand reaching out for the earth ninja to take. Cole stared at his metal hand, peeking upwards to meet Zane’s gaze. Emerald clashed against two different shades of light blue for a few moments, before he reached a shaky arm out and took Zane’s hand. 

And then he lunged forward. 

The ninja let out a few cries of alarm as Cole pounced at Zane, but that alarm soon melted away as the earth ninja wrapped his arms around Zane’s sides, burying his face in the ice elemental’s chest. 

And Cole cried. 

He began to wail, screaming and sobbing into Zane’s chest, his hands finding the fabric on Zane’s back and gripping it tightly. Zane recovered from his shock and hugged Cole back, resting his chin on the top of Cole’s head as he started to hum. He could feel as Cole’s tail coiled tightly around his leg, could feel as the earth ninja shook with each sob and gasp. He could feel as the black ninja sobbed out all his fears, could feel as his tears soaked the front of his gi. He could feel as the rest of the team joined in, all of them crowding around Cole. They murmured softly, telling the earth ninja how much he was valued and how much they cared for him. How him being Oni didn’t matter. How much they loved him. 

“I— I was— s-s-so  _ scared _ .” Cole choked out before his sentence petered off and he began to sob softly once more. Images of his burned village returned into his vision, causing him to tense and cry out. He could feel someone rubbing soothing motions into his back. He was aware of someone humming a soft tune, aware that they were now all sitting on the sand, as opposed to being standing a few seconds prior. He could feel arms and chests against all of his sides, could feel as they covered him in a blanket of safety and warmth. He cried softly into whoever’s shoulder he had buried his face into, so thankful and relieved that his family hadn’t abandoned him. 

“You got a lot of explaining to do.” Someone murmured from behind him, and Cole let out a small hum of agreement in acknowledgment.

* * *

He didn’t know how long he had continued to cry for, but the next time he focused on reality, he was sitting in front of a campfire. He was nestled into someone’s side, their arm draped over his shoulders. A low purr was coming from the back of his throat, and he closed his eyes as he sank into the warmth surrounding him. 

“Earth to Cole.” Someone tapped on his nose, causing his eyes to shoot open. He looked around, realizing that he was snuggled against Kai’s side, the rest of the crew sitting in a circle around the fire. Faith was off to the side, sharpening her blade with a rock, causing Cole to shudder slightly.

“It’s alright. She promised not to kill you.” Wu mentioned. 

“Only if you don’t try anything.” She corrected before she ran her thumb in a motion across her neck. Cole gave her a stiff nod before he looked around. They were right outside the gates to the stronghold and had made a small campfire. The vehicles they had arrived in were formed in a protective semi-circle encompassing them, hopefully shielding them from whatever was out there. Cole looked around, catching that he was still in his Oni form. He paused for a few seconds, looking down at his hands as he sunk deep into his thoughts.

“Hey, it’s fine,” Kai reassured, cracking a small smile. “It feels nice to finally be in your own skin, huh?”

A pause.

“Mhm.” Cole hummed, relaxing in Kai’s arms. He stared softly at the fire, sighing softly as it fed him the extra warmth he needed. He glanced around once more before he wormed his way out of Kai’s hold and sat up. The rest of the team perked up at that, all of them watching their fellow earth ninja. 

“Cole?” Jay questioned.

“...about that explanation,” Cole mumbled, bringing up his knees to his chest and idly drawing circles into the black sand. He could sense all their eyes on him, and he cast a quick look upwards, meeting Zane’s eyes. He looked around, connecting all their eyes before he looked back at the soil. He noticed as they all scooted closer, forming a tighter circle around the fire. They watched as Cole shifted back into his human form, running a hand through his hair with an exhausted sigh. 

“Cole—”

“It’s fine,” Cole reassured, taking a deep breath before he sat back. He glimpsed back up at the sky, his mind already beginning to wander back to a time where he plus a group of Oni children would sit on a reed mat, staring off into the heavens as the Elder’s taught them about the stars. He let out a faint, sad sigh, looking back at Kai.

“So...yeah. I’m an Oni.” The earth ninja chuckled. 

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Zane whispered. 

“I...I was too  _ scared _ to.” Cole admitted. He curled up again, casting a nervous glimpse at the ice ninja, shivering despite the fire. “I...I didn’t know what you’d say, and I didn’t know what would happen.”

“Did you not trust us  _ that  _ much?” Jay spoke, causing Cole to glance back at him. 

“It hasn’t been easy,” Cole whispered noiselessly, just loud enough for them to hear. He buried his face into his knees, allowing himself to shudder when his mind graced the memory of that fateful day when the hunters took everything from him. “I...thought that, if I told you...there would be a chance...a chance that you’d even kill me—”

“You  _ thought _ that?!” Kai roared as he got to his feet, and he looked mad— no,  _ furious _ . He had that snarl twisted on his features, making him look more like a demon than that of a man. He pointed a figure at Cole, his other hand clenched at his side. “Listen up, asshole! How dare you think like that! We’re your family dude, if you think that s—”

“My kind has been  _ slaughtered _ , Kai!” Cole cried out in protest, having climbed to his feet and morphing back into his Oni form. Tears pricked the corners of the earth ninja’s eyes but he refused to let them spillover. In the corner of his vision, he could see Faith startle before Wu reached out a hand to stop her. “We were killed for being who we were! I didn’t want to die! I couldn’t take that risk!”

“Cole, we’re your family. You know us.” Jay spoke, joining Kai’s side. The lightning ninja gently smacked Kai’s arm, signalling for the fire ninja to calm down. 

A pause.

“But you don’t know  _ me _ .” The earth ninja spat. 

“Cole…” Wu spoke quietly, attempting to reach for his pupil. Cole glanced over at him for a few seconds, before he sighed, his previous angry demeanour evaporating. 

“Listen...I...I’m sorry, okay?” Cole sputtered out. 

“Why don’t you tell us about it?” Zane suggested, walking to the distressed Oni’s side. He placed a cool hand on Cole’s shoulder, gesturing for the earth ninja to sit down with some pressure he applied to his shoulder. Cole complied with a grumble, sitting cross-legged on the sand as the rest of the ninja followed suit. 

“Start from the beginning, if you’re comfortable.” Zane prompted as he rubbed soothing motions against the earth ninja’s back. Cole’s eyebrows were furrowed in thought for a few seconds, before they relaxed and he let out a defeated sigh. Rubbing at the back of his neck, the earth ninja scanned around for a few more seconds before he gave in. 

He started to talk. 

He spoke about his village. He spoke about his family. He spoke about how the majority of his kind was slaughtered by hunters. He cried into his hands when he talked about his mother, unable to get the image of the burning fields out of his mind. Faith herself looked a bit startled as Cole spoke about the hunters raiding his village, killing every single man, woman, and child they could find. She was deep in thought as he kept talking, the earth babbling on and on about the things he’s witnessed. He found himself nestled into someone’s arms as he began to cry softly once more, unable to hold anything back. 

“That liar!” Faith snarled as she got up, slamming her harpoon rifle against the sand with an ugly crack, drawing all of their attention to her. She paced around the fire furiously, her hands gnarled like she was ready to strangle someone, she glared at Cole, the earth ninja freezing up. “He lied to us! He told us how the Oni were in these lands. He told us how they did nothing but attack us. But they’re all dead! And he killed them!”

Cole let out a few sniffles. 

“Tell me! Is the Dragon Armour even real?!” She demanded, storming up to Wu and staring him down. The white-haired man cowered away from under her stone-cold gaze for a few moments, before glancing in another direction.

“I— I think so—”

“It’s real.” Cole interrupted, drawing all of their attention to him. He wiped at his eyes for a few seconds before he cleared his throat, glancing up at Faith before nodding. The crew fell into stunned stillness, staring up at Cole like he had grown an extra head. The earth ninja looked around, before staring off at the stars, his eyes focusing on the biggest star visible in the sky. He raised a finger to point at it, the rest of the teams’ heads turning to look. 

“We follow that star. It’ll guide us to Firstborne’s nest. The Dragon Armour is in there.” He added, his mind wandering back to the stories that the Elders told, about how to  _ never  _ go there. Even saying something like that made him want to throw up. He spent this entire time here in the First Realm trying his hardest to avoid dragons, and now they were going to head right into where they all lived. But the hopeful look in Faith’s eyes and the look that his family had made him swallow that fear that had begun to build up in the back of his throat. He nodded, this time more firmly, fists at his sides.

“We’ll leave at dawn.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im back baby

Lou and Sphal crashed into a wet puddle after charging through the portal. The water was not much deep, about ankle-height. Sprouts and strands of grass-like vegetation grew out of the wet field, being flattened under their weight. Lou got up, shaking his head as he attempted to drive out the water in his hair. Sphal clung to his chest tighter than ever, sniffling as he hugged the wooden figure to his chest. Lou looked around. It was sunset— or sunrise. The sky was bluer than the usual sky in their home realm. A strange chirping was present in the air, sometimes drawn out, other times short and brief. They were on a hill, green fields filled with water lay on the hills in strange platforms, almost like a set of stairs.

“What the hell?”

Lou snapped his eyes to his right, his ears lowering as his mouth peeled back into an ugly snarl. He turned Sphal away slightly, shielding his son with his shoulder as he lowered himself into a defensive position. Sphal made a scared noise, burying his face into his father’s chest even more. However, the young Oni’s curiosity got the better of him after a while and he lifted his head out of his father’s chest. 

Stood a few meters away, was a woman. Her skin was a darker shade of brown, with her black hair tied up in a neat bun. She wore a simple red garb, with a basket of some kind of wheat held in her hands, with well-sculpted muscle adorning her arms. She glanced at the two Oni in a state of pure shock, before dropping the basket into the shallow water she stood in. Sphal sniffled, burrowing in closer to his father’s chest in fear. Lou backed up some more from the strange creature, holding Sphal away from her. 

“Who are you?” Lou snarled, his voice reaching lower octaves as he readied himself to defend them if necessary. 

“Who are  _ you? _ ” She repeated his question. She herself got into a combat position, and Lou could swear he could feel the very earth vibrate from under his feet. Lou snarled again. He could begin to smell her. He knew what she was.

“You’re an elemental master,” Lou growled. He knew of the First Spinjitzu Master, how he had escaped the First Realm and created Ninjago. How he had established a group of people who held elemental powers. And if that was the case, then he’d have to guess they were in Ninjago. A pitiful place to end up, really. But who was he one to complain?

“Yeah. You still haven’t answered my question. Who are you? Where are you from? You literally came from a cloud of smoke.” She continued, casting a glance at Sphal, who remain clutched to his father’s chest. Her expression softened ever so slightly, watching as the small Oni peered out at her curiously. He barely looked around five to seven years old, with straggly hair and puffed eyes from crying.

“We come from the First Realm.” Lou finally answered after some initial hesitation, letting out a small croon to comfort his son, and Sphal wiped at his own face and tears. The father watched as the stranger’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion for a few seconds before her face morphed into one of surprise and alarm.

“Oni?” She asked.

There was a pause before he nodded.

“Y—”

“We seek refuge.” Lou cut her off before she could say anything else, straightening ever so slightly from his defensive position. “There is nothing left for us to return to. We will leave you be if you leave us alone.”

There was another pause as she considered his words for a brief moment. 

“...I’m sorry, but I can’t do that.” She responded. In a swift movement, a layer of rocks covered her arms, bright orange magma flowing between the cracks. Lou backed up with a low growl, as Sphal cried out in alarm and burrowed deeper into his father’s chest. Father and son watched as her eyes glowed a soft orange colour. 

“You can come peacefully. You will be unharmed.” She continued, reaching her hands forwards in a peaceful gesture. The low waters around them rippled from the force of her elemental powers, weeds and grass bowing to the side. 

“We will cause no harm. Please. Just leave us alone.” Lou growled, backing up as she approached them some more. Sphal was crying loudly now, burying his face in his father’s chest as she advanced, hands grabbing onto Lou’s back. She paused for a few seconds, looking over Sphal, before sighing. The earth on her arms dissolved into fine sand and the glow in her eyes dispersed. Once again, she looked over the two of them again, giving a final defeated sigh and a nod. 

“Alright!. Okay. Fine. But get out of here as fast as possible. I don’t want anyone to see you.” She spoke carefully, glancing around the field. Even though the closest neighbour was around five kilometres away, they always had a tendency to check up on her from time to time. No doubt seeing an Oni would cause some unwanted trouble.

Lou let out a ragged breath of relief, already making a move to leave. 

“But,” She continued, looking the adult Oni in the eyes. “If you hurt anyone, then I will not hesitate to go after you. Don’t make me hurt you.” 

There was a pause before Lou nodded. And with that, he backed up even more, before turning around and running into the nearby forest, the elemental master watching him as he went. 

* * *

There was a frantic knocking on her door one week later, late in the evening, when the sun began to set and the chill bite of the air beginning to creak between the cracks in the door. 

The elemental master of earth, startled from her spot at the kitchen table, having dropped a cup of warm milk from her hands. She glanced at the wooden door, almost believing that she imagined the noise. The door stood along the barren wall, dunked in shadows where the light from the candle didn’t reach. She was about to sit back down before another round of frantic knocking caused the door to rattle.

“Hello?” She got up, her hands already subconsciously curling around one of the large blades she had— a large, white blade with some words carved into the rock in black lettering. She crept towards the door, the blade held in front of her, ready to strike. Another knock on the door caused her to swallow thickly before she grabbed the doorknob and swung the door inwards. 

Lou was at the door, cradling Sphal in his arms. The little Oni was proned out. However, as she took a closer look at the child, she knew something was wrong. 

His breathing was incredibly shallow, and he had a sheen of sweat coating his skin. His lips were a pale gray, his cheeks deathly sunken and making him look like a skeleton. He was trembling ever so slightly, his teeth clacking as a shudder raced through his form. Lou himself looked panicked, his eyes slitted and his tail thrashing around in distress.

“Please.” He croaked out, holding his son close to his chest. “Help him. I— I don’t know what’s wrong with him. I— I don’t know what to do!”

“Quickly, come in.” She ushered them in immediately. Lou stepped in without a second thought, as she closed the door after him and guiding him to the couch in front of the fireplace. Lou placed Sphal on the couch, the little Oni crying out in his sleep and instinctively reaching out for his father. The earth elemental stepped forward, and placed her hand on Sphal’s forehead, gauging his temperature. 

“He’s burning up.” She mumbled absentmindedly, already making her way to the kitchen. She pulled out a few items from the cupboards. Lou watched her as he sat down on the couch beside his son, taking Sphal’s small hand in his own, larger one. Sphal’s peaceful sleeping face broke for a second before a small coughing fit overtook him. Lou squeezed his hand, glancing over at the kitchen area once again. 

She had placed a metal kettle on the rocky stove before she turned to open another cupboard. She took out a wooden mortar and pestle, placed it on the table, and tossed a few items in before she got to work crushing them. Lou watched her, entranced for a few more seconds before another small whine from his son pulled him away. He leaned forward, taking note of how his son’s lips were a deathly pale, his fingers cold to the touch while the rest of him was burning hotter than the sun. 

“Please be okay,” Lou whispered quietly and reached forward to gently comb his fingers through his son’s sweaty hair. He crooned quietly, hoping the noise would keep his child calm. Sphal let out a small, weak purr, turning his head to lean into his father’s touch.

A noise caused Lou to look up, watching as the strange woman knelt down beside them. She held a bowl of some medicine in her hands, soft, warm steam wafting from the dark red liquid. She cast a cautious look at Lou as if gauging for a reaction. He gave a tight nod as he stood to help Sphal sit up, and she scooted forward some more. She gently tilted Sphal’s head back, slowly trickling the medicine down his throat. Once it was halfway drained, she pulled away and set the bowl on the nearby wooden table.

Grabbing a few extra pillows, she propped Sphal’s chest up a bit more as Lou set him down once more.

And then, silence. 

The only noise was the crackle of the fireplace. 

“Will he be okay?” Lou asked, casting a scared look down at his son.

“...I don’t know. I gave him some stuff to help with the fever, but...I’m not sure.” She sighed, watching as Sphal’s face scrunched up in his sleep with a low croak before relaxing. They were quiet for a few more moments, before Lou sat down on the floor, defeated. He held his head in his hands, and it was only a few more seconds later before she noticed that he was crying.

“I...I can’t afford to lose him too.” Lou spoke quietly.

She sat down beside him with a frown, the crackling of the fire being the only noise that filled the silence between them.

“Hey. He’s a strong boy. I’m sure he’ll be fine.”

Lou glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, taking in her form. Her arms were decorated with battle scars and faded wounds, her body clearly having seen years of battle. But there was a clear softness to her features, just enough for him to relax slightly. He glanced away, deep in his thoughts, and she watched as a dark cloud passed over his features, no doubt worrying about his son. 

“Hey. My name is Lily. What’s yours?” 

“...Lou.” The Oni said after a few seconds. 

“Lou.” Lily repeated with a soft smile, sitting back so she rested against the couch. Sphal’s breath was faint, a soft wheezing tone emanating from his lungs every time he breathed in. She watched as Lou flinched with each uneven breath his son took, his face buried into his knees in thought. 

“What about your son?”

“...Sphal.” Lou muttered, wiping at his face. 

“Sphal. He seems like a good boy.” Lily spoke gently, casting him a small smile. Lou went silent again, his ears flicking as he remained deep in thought. 

Another pause.   
  


“Tell you what.” Lily started. “How about you and your son stay here for a while?”

That seemed to get his attention. His goat-like ears perked up as he looked over at her, bright golden eyes digging into her darker green ones. Lily had to bite back a soft laugh at his bewildered expression, before giving him a quick nod. 

“I need to make sure you don’t destroy anything. Consider it me keeping an eye on you two.” Lily continued, getting to her feet to put away some pots and pans used to make the medicine. Lou remained seated on the floor, watching her as she went. He turned his attention back to his son, watching with held breath as the little Oni took in painful breaths of air. 

It was going to be a long day.


End file.
